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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 2006)
SCfì QrColl E 75 . S6B v. 31 * P.O. Box 870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 no. 1 January 5, 2006 University of Oregon Library Received on: 01-13-06 Spilyay tymoo. Coyote News, est. 1976 January 5, 2006 Vol. 31, No. 1 ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊM ÈÊÊÊÊÊÊÊBÈBÊÈÊÉÊÊÈU ÊÊÊÊKÊM Tribes mourn passing of valued member B y N at Shaw Tribal delations t - - T he C o n fed erated T ribes o f Warm Springs lost a valued mem ber o f tribal government with the passing of Warren Rudy Clements. Clements died Dec. 28 due to com plications o f diabetes at St. Charles Hospital in Bend. Clements was born on the Warm Springs Reservation on June 10, 1936. He was the oldest son of Bart and Helen McCorkle Clements. Clements’ Indian name was Sta- xo-thali. The original Sta-xo-thali was a treaty signer and C h ief o f the Lower Deschutes Band, who was killed in 1864 by Paulina’s band near the crossing of the Crooked River, about 12 miles Northeast of Camp Maury. Clements was a direct de scendant of Sta-xo-thali. Clements was one of the Con federated T ribes’ earliest college graduates, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in elementary edu cation from Eastern Oregon College in La Grande in 1962. While attending college he served on the student body council, lettered in baseball four years, and lettered two years in basketball. He was also a cheerleader in high school and col lege. He w as an o u tstan d in g high sch o o l ath lete at M adras H igh School. As a youth he excelled as a boxer, jockey, and bowler. He later bowled in a semi-pro league and competed around the Northwest. His first job after graduating from college was teaching at David Dou g las H igh S ch o o l in P o rtlan d . Clements also coached baseball and basketball. M ost o f his career was spent working for Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Plis understanding of the political and governmental work ings o f Indian Country made him a valuable asset to the tribes. His knowledge o f ancient Indian customs, traditions, dances and In dian lore, along with his entertaining speaking style, made him a much in demand speaker for a wide array of audiences. O ver the years Clem ents had worked with various dance groups to raise funds for the Lincoln’s Birth day Day Powwow, held in Simnasho every February. He had recently worked with the Quartz Creek Singers and Drum mers. He and his wife Anna were in volved in helping make the Lincoln’s Birthday Day Powwow a great suc cess and had just recently, in the last few y e ars, step p ed b ack to let younger people carry the burden. Over the years his groups have performed for a multitude o f for eign dignitaries, VIPs, corporations, and governmental agencies. In 1964, Clements became the first director o f the new W arm Springs C om m unity Center. He coached baseball and boxing at that Spilyay file photos Rudy Clements often represented the tribes at events in the region such as Eagle Watch (photo above), and Lake Billy Chinook Day (left). time. In 1968, he accepted the newly cre ated position of Education Coordina tor. He also served as Community Ac tion Program Director, responsible for Head Start, VISTA and Neighborhood Youth Corps services. In 1969, the Northwest Lab in Port land hired Clements. Northwest Lab, under the Department of Labor, con ceptualized an innovative new program. Clements was selected over 100 other applicants. He directed the pilot program called “Northwest Area Manpower Institute for Development of Staff.” The program was a result-orientated module, teaching outstanding people from industry to become instructors. After two and a half years of traveling the United States, hiring the elite from around the country, and working ex tensively with the 25 states west of the Mississippi River, Clements returned to the Warm Springs reservation. In the next 30-plus years Clements worked as the tribes’ Municipal M an ager, the manager of the Employee De velopment Department, and the Direc tor of Tribal Relations. As Municipal Manager, Rudy was in charge of education, law enforce ment, legal aid, court and probate ad ministration, community center, natu ral resources, extension, fire and safety, and employment training and adminis tration. Rudy planned and implemented the statew ide B alance o f State Indian CETA program. The E m ployee D evelopm ent Department was created in 1981 to im prove the career developm ent and job training opportunities pro vided to tribal employees and man agers. Next, Clements was asked to start up a new branch that would dispense information to the tribal public as well as the off-reservation public. The Tribal Relations branch was com prised o f KWSO radio, the Spilyay Tymoo, the Print Shop and Public Relations. He served on numerous boards, commissions, service groups and various committees. Six Oregon governors called on him, appointing him to state boards. Clements was particularly proud of his role in assisting the state Legisla ture in creating the Commission of Indian Services. Working at the grass roots level with then-State Senator Vic Atiyeh, Clements was instrumental in help ing lay the foundation for a body that has become a strong voice in the Oregon Legislature for Native Americans. He also served on a number of Tribal Council committees including the land use committee. He also served as the first chairman of the board o f The M useum at Warm Springs when the museum was in its planning stages. His passion for the last 10 years was his involvement in gaming is sues for the Confederated Tribes of W arm Sprin gs. He w as on the ground floor when the tribes entered the gaming business. He served as Chairman of the Indian Head Ca sino Board o f Directors since its inception. Later, when the Indian Head Ca sino merged with Kah-Nee-Ta, he served as the C hairm an o f the Board of Directors for Kah-Nee- Ta High Desert Resort and Casino. He has been working tirelessly to help the tribes expand its gaming op eratio n to the C o lum b ia R iver Gorge. Shortly before his death, Clements remarked that when the doors to the new casino at Cascade Locks were open, he would retire. Rudy is survived by his wife of 47 y e a rs, A n n a Q u eah p am a Clements. Also surviving is a grand daughter Shayla Frank, and a great gran d so n Ja k e Frank. B rothers George Clements, Mike Clements and Grant Clements also survive him. Other survivors include numer ous nieces and nephews. Clements’ parents and daughter Trudee Ann Clements preceded him in death. Clements practiced the Washat Indian religion, as he learned it from the Queahpama family. The three sisters, Nettie, Matilda, and Sylvia, were instrumental in his teaching. C lem en ts w o rsh ip e d at the Sim nasho Longhouse for m any years. All-star Indian basketball squad to visit Warm Springs The Warm Springs Community Cen ter this month will host a youth event that will include an appearance by the N ative A m erican Youth and Elders Foundation All-Star Basketball Team. Chance Rush, a DJ, will also be at the event to provide music and act as master o f ceremonies. The gathering, on Monday, Jan. 16, is sponsored by the marketing cam paign, Verb: It’s W hat You Do, Native Style. The marketing campaign is coordi n ated by the U.S. D ep artm en t o f Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Verb motivates youth ages 9 to 13, called “tweens,” to be active and have fun trying new activities, stressing the importance o f physical activity The star attraction o f the Jan. 16 event at the Community Center will be the Native American Youth and Elders Foundation (NAYEF) All-Star Basket b a ll T eam , h ead ed by N elso n Hernandez. The NAYEF All-Stars are touring the country and holding basketball tourna ments at Indian reservations through out America. The event is open to the public from 1 to 3 p.m.; and from 3 to 5 p.m. there will be an autograph session and youth clinic demonstrations. Kids in attendance will receive Verb t-shirt jerseys and mini basketballs. For m ore in fo rm a tio n v is it wwwcdc.gov/youthcampaign. The par en t site can be fo un d at www.VERBparents.com and for youth information visit www.VERBnow.com. A lso for m ore in fo rm atio n call MaryAnn Gerst at (505) 822-1705. Warm Springs, OR 97761 50 cents The top news stories of 2005 B y Dave M cM echan Spilyay Tymoo The past 12 months saw dramatic developments — some positive, some disappointing - in regard to the Con federated Tribes’ gaming enterprise. The tribal government budget pro cess during 2005, meanwhile, resulted in some substantial changes to the or ganization. Gaming and the' budget have been among the top news stories for the past few years, and the same was true in 2005. Many of the main headlines dur ing the year had to do with the Gorge casino plan, or the need to cut millions o f dollars from the tribal organization budget. This year the budget cuts re sulted in some tribal member employ ees having to transfer to different po sitions within the organization. The future of gaming, and the fi nances o f the tribal organization, were big news items during 2005, but there were stories o f great human interest that also happened on the reservation during the course o f the year. War hero One of the most interesting stories o f the year happened in August. It was at that time that Chesley Yahtin finally received war medals that he earned while serving in the m ilitary during the Korean War. Yahtin, 74, received the K orean Campaign Ribbon with five battle stars and a Korean Defense Medal. He also received certificates honoring his two Purple Hearts, which he earned in two incidents occurring less than six months apart in 1950 and 1951. “I guess you could say this is sort of a relief,” he said. Yahtin was also given an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, reversing a discharge he re ceived shortly after being sent back to the U.S. from Korea. Yahtin began serving in the Korean War when he was 19 years old. More than 50 years later he finally received the just recognition from the country he served. Compact with the state The biggest event during the course o f the year in regard to the tribes’ gam ing enterprise was the signing o f the compact. This happened in A pril at Cascade Locks, and marked the end o f years o f negotiation between the Confederated Tribes and the state of O regon. The com pact — signed by Council Chairm an Ron Suppah and Gov. Ted Kulongoski — provides the necessary state approval for develop m ent o f a tribal casino at Cascade Locks on the Columbia River. How ever, the state compact moved the ap proval process to the federal level, where the situation grew more compli cated. A month after the tribes and the state endorsed the compact at Cascade Locks, the tribes learned that federal approval would have to wait until the casino site is in federal trust, a process that takes about 12 months. This was an unexpected and disappointing devel opment, but many remained optimis tic: In the end the goal o f building a casino at Cascade Locks can still be ac complished, said Ken Smith, a gaming repfesentative o f the tribes. “It’s a bump in the road and w e’ll move on,” he said. So those are the top three stories of the year in my opinion: the casino developments, the budget, and Chesley Yahtin receiving his war medals, not necessarily in that order.
